C H E C K M A T E
by Storm-Eyes-Osprey
Summary: You need precision. You need strategy. A single move can flip the game on its head, turn a plan into a deathtrap, make the difference between winning and losing. And, most importantly, you have to be aware. Where do you stand? Are you the player, or simply a pawn in your own game?
1. G A M E S

**Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Death Note**

* * *

><p><strong> CHECKMATE<strong>

* * *

><p><strong> GAMES<strong>

* * *

><p><em>The girl stood, the snowflakes spiralling down around her, scattering a ice-laced layer of pristine white upon the ground around her. Although her hands were clean, she could feel the metaphorical blood of her parents staining them. Although she had not physically killed them, she felt as if the snow around her feet should be stained scarlet. <em>

_It was her fault after all._

* * *

><p>"I win." Sitting hunched over the chessboard that sat on the ground, a girl, about fifteen years of age shifted lightly on her feet, straightening up and fixing the boy sitting opposite to her with a questioning glance. Looking up from the chequered slab of wood before him, he raised his head, scanning his opponent for any form of smugness, any triumph, yet found only a bored expression that reflected her monotone voice, the words that, in a normal person, would be filled with pride empty of emotion, dull and unexcited. The boy, however, wasn't surprised. The girl opposite from him would win so often, it almost seemed like routine, her frame permanently rooted to the ground by the chessboard, her eyes darting over the black and white squares, cursed to win every single time. To others, it would seem like a dream- to be unbeatable, but, the boy was right. To the girl, it was inexplicably <em>boring.<em>

Her hand hovering over the small army of chess pieces that she had collected from the boy, the girl glanced upwards again, her raven hair masking her eyes, the sunlight streaming in through the window casting jagged shadows across the contour of her skull. Letting her spine arch outwards from her hunched position, the girl clasped her opponent's hand in hers and shook it, a rare smile playing on her features, her voice slipping out again, quiet yet filled with meaning.

"That was a good game, Near. Thankyou." she spoke in an almost informative tone, more trying to convince herself than the boy opposite her. Shaking his head, his snowy white sweep of hair dipping into his eyes, the boy trained his darkened gaze on the raven-haired female opposite him, moving his hands as he gathered up the remaining pieces scattered over the chessboard, sliding them back into their original positions, aware of his opponent's meticulous gaze trained on him as he moved, the intensity of the girl's eyes, dark pools behind her narrow-framed glasses still unnerving.

"It's me that should be thanking you, Check. It was entertaining as always." A rare laugh rising from the girl, Check's, mouth, spiralling into the air and joining the illuminated dust particles dancing around the lofty room, the shafts of morning sunlight throwing shadows and warm orange light across the room.

"I doubt you really mean that. It must be boring, watching me win each time." She paused, gaze flickering back down towards the newly arranged board, the pieces tempting her to move, causing her hand to instinctively jerk out to the side, the involuntary movement sending a sharp tug of irritation down her spine. "Yet, still, you play almost every day." Near shrugged, and scrambled to his feet, looking down upon where Check sat, still crosslegged on the wooden floor, gazing down sadly at the ground, her hair falling in curtains around her face. Blinking behind her square-framed glasses, the girl forced out towards the ground with the palms of her hands and staggered to her feet, her clothes shifting over her body with the movement, the loose jumper hanging over her hands and creasing over her frame.

"Come on, Check. Let's go and find Mello and Matt." Nodding slowly, the girl clenched her hands into fists and released them again before stooping down, swiping a hand over the chessboard and plucking a pawn into the palm, letting her gaze slide back over to Near, who stood in the doorway, waiting expectantly.

"Yeah." The statement was bored and dull, yet it held some hope, and, satisfied that Check was pulling from her brief spell of silence, Near turned and walked down the corridors, the surroundings changing rapidly from the sunwashed light of the room they had sat in before to the darkened corridors, all of the other students at the Wammy's house in lessons, leaving the usually conversation-filled halls empty- Alike to Check's mood. Spotting a door open up ahead, spilling light into the corridor, Check and Near peered inside to see two heads peeking over the top of a worn-down sofa, one blonde, one red, indicating the presence of Mello and Matt. Stalking forwards, Check leant over and, extending a hand, deposited the pawn that sat in her hand onto Mello's forehead, the wooden piece balanced precariously as the boy glanced upwards and spoke in a bored tone, not shifting from where he reclined, sprawled out on the sofa.

"Check, what do you want." Feigning surprise, Check leant over and peered down into Mello's face, the chess piece wobbling on his nose before tumbling down his face and scattering onto the floor.

"How did you guess?" The blonde rolled his eyes, still motionless, gaze fixed on the TV screen before him, Watching intently as Matt stabbed furiously at a game controller, eyes glaring intensely at the screen.

"You're the only one here with the nerve to deposit a pawn on my face, that's how." Letting out a grunt, Check slid down the arm of the sofa, curling up on the floor and letting her eyes drift to the TV screen, where Matt was growing increasingly frustrated at whatever game he was playing, his frantic clicking on the keys barely stopping, his goggles pushed up on his forehead, teeth clenched in annoyance.

"I'm bored." The statement, however short, seemed to greatly annoy Mello, and he let out an exasperated sigh.

"I'm not playing chess with you. You'll win, there's no doubt." A huff of breath hissed from Check's throat, and she doubled up, her forehead smacking against her knees in frustration, coiled up like a broken accordion, crooked and bent over.

"Just Die Already!" An angry screech sounded from Matt, and Near flinched where he stood in the doorway as the redhead let his controller slam into the floor, his eyes narrowed at the TV screen, scowling at the red haze that had descended on the game, proclaiming his virtual death.

"I've had to watch this idiot decapitating zombies all morning. I'm literally ready to smash the stupid TV screen." Mello voiced his annoyance at the redhead next to him, and Matt opened his mouth to protest, but closed it sharply as a voice sounded, Check snapping around to see Watari, standing in the doorway, sweeping the four with an unreadable gaze.

"L has called. He wishes to speak with you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wellll that was awful. Anyway, this is my first Death Note fanfiction, so I hope you enjoy! **

**Storm**


	2. B O R E D O M

**Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Death Note**

* * *

><p><strong> CHECKMATE<strong>

* * *

><p><strong> BOREDOM<strong>

* * *

><p><em>She sat in the room, the walls blank, her mind empty. It held no memories, and seemed to bleach her soul, leaving nothing but an emotionless shell.<em>

_Which was what she wanted, after all._

* * *

><p>Check remained sitting, even after Matt had torn himself away from his anger at his video-game related death. Reaching out, she scooped the pawn up from the sofa and sat with it balanced on her hands, her eyes focused in on the chess piece, hair swung in front of her face, closing her off from the rest of the room, biting her lip in an attempt to remove the tension that was building up inside of her from the silence that had fallen on the room.<p>

"Check, he wishes to see you too." Letting her head jerk up from where she sat, Check looked along to where Near, Mello and Matt stood in the doorway, Watari stood behind them, barely a silhouette, edged in darkness.

"I'm not a successor, though." A look of frustration lit in Matt's eyes, and he turned towards the girl sat upon the floor, his hands clenched by his sides, irritation at the videogame seeming to linger, the look of annoyance upon his face not one commonly seen in direction at a living being.

"Well, neither am I, but I'm coming along!" Near nodded solemnly in the direction of Check, his gaze emotionless.

"Matt is correct. If L wishes to speak with you, it must be important." A sigh rising from her throat, unable to find a decent protest, Check scrambled to her feet and stood, hair masking her features, before joining the three boys wordlessly, her hands limp by her sides, the pawn lying abandoned on the ground as they left the room.

Settling down upon the floor, Check let her gaze flicker upwards to where a simple laptop sat, balanced on a stand, a gothic letter 'L' displayed on the screen, the light it cast illuminating the room, the small camera that sat beside it picking up the images and voices, the person behind it, L, watching in silence as Mello, Near and Matt stretched out casually upon the wooden floor, clearly used to the prospect of a conversation with the world's greatest detective, their expressions blank and impatient, Check finding their relaxation bemusing, her own form hunched over, her body jumping with nerves, her mind whirling, screaming at her to stand and run. Near reached into his pocket and drew out a Rubik's cube, his hands flying over the colours, Mello fishing out a chocolate bar and taking a bit off the corner gaze fixed on the screen as they waited in ease.

"Near, Mello, Matt, Check." A voice, cold and quiet, suddenly emitted from the speaker beside the laptop, the intelligence within it clearly displayed, even over the computer. Gaze trained on the ground, Check sat and listened in silence as the boys who sat before her spoke, her mind blurring over their voices, the conversation whirling past her, barely registered. Gradually, as she sat, an idea began working its way up through her mind, and, however much she forced it down, it overpowered her and, before she could stop herself, she opened her mouth and spoke.

"L." The heads of Near, Mello and Matt snapped around to glance at the raven-haired girl perched behind them, the look in their eyes indicating that they had forgotten her presence, a sense of insecurity rising inside of her. _You've spoken now. Just ask the question. _ Her thoughts racing, stomach clenching with nerves, she tilted her head upwards, the light of the screen catching against the lenses of her glasses. "M-may I ask a question?" Silence. Swallowing heavily, forcing confidence through herself, Check blinked slowly, and let her hair fall away from her face, revealing herself to where L sat behind the computer screen, sitting in a room who knows where.

"Don't you ever get bored?" As the words left her mouth, Check let her head fall back to the ground, catching sight of Mello freezing mid-way through a bite of his chocolate, Near's hands falling still upon his Rubik's cube. Silence still. Inhaling deeply through her nose, clenching her hands by her sides, the girl, realising that there was no backing out, no turning back, jerked her head back upwards, voice steadily increasing in volume as she spoke, her confidence rising with every word.

"You know! Don't you ever get bored of being L? Don't you wish that you could just live a normal life? Let things go on unnoticed? Not have to analyse every single word, every motion? Not have to hid your face and name? Just be a normal person? Because I'm bored. I'm fed up of winning. I just want to lose for once." Lifting her darkened gaze to meet those of the others in the room, Check sat defiantly, ignoring the shocked expressions, forcing the anger from her voice, clasping and unclasping her hands by her sides, glad to have found a vent for her growing anger, the strange urge to _grin_ overtaking her.

"Yes. Yes, I do." The voice spoke. The answer was so simple, yet it sent Check spiralling back down to earth, her heart thundering in her chest, her eyes darting towards the floor, unable to face anyone's gaze, her breath heavy and rasping, her glasses slipping down her nose, fear overwhelming her. "Check, you passed." A flicker of surprise passed through the dark-eyed girl's body, and she glanced up to the screen, the gothic 'L' unchanging upon its surface. "Watari, I wish for Check to be classed as one of my successors. She will train alongside Near and Mello. I wished to establish her commitment, and she seems to understand perfectly what it means to be L. That is all." With those words, the screen flickered, and went blank.

* * *

><p><strong>I present to you awful chapter number two... Yay.<strong>


	3. R O O F T O P

**Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Death Note**

* * *

><p><strong> CHECKMATE<strong>

* * *

><p><strong> ROOFTOP<strong>

* * *

><p><em>She looked down at her hands, and counted. 1.. 2.. 3.. She wished life was that simple, three numbers with nothing else, a straightforward existence. No. There were decimals, infinities enclosed in every number, impossible to reach the next step.<em>

_1.1, 1.2, 1.3_

* * *

><p>To Check, the darkness was strangely comforting. Her bare feet could feel the smooth wood of the floor beneath them as she crouched, motionless, the shadows shifting welcomingly, calling to her, sliding in familiar patterns over the walls, the paper that lined them fluttering in an unknown breeze, the graphite-shaded squares catching the narrow slice of moonlight that stabbed through the window. The pencil clutched in Check's hand moved over the scrap of paper before her, shading in squares in a chessboard pattern, her mind barely focused on the task, the feeling of the paper beneath her, the pencil balanced in her hand, the scratch of the graphite, it was all so familiar, a routine, a task. Her eyes glancing over the frames of her glasses, she let her gaze slide over to the window, the orb of the moon outside staggered by clouds, the stars barely visible, only the brightest shining through the veil of darkness. The pencil in her hand slowing to a halt, Check looked down to find the paper full, the alternating squares of black and white lacing across it, alike to the hundreds of others that lined the walls of the room, almost every surface covered in paper, each one decorated in alternating squares, overlapping across the walls, some jumbled and messy, the drawing of a young child, the paper worn an faded, others more precision, the paper still crisp and fresh. Straightening up from where she crouched on the floor, Check took the paper and moved over to the wall, sliding the new piece of paper between two existing ones, letting it sit, nestled against the wall, filling the room with a graphite sheen every time the moon caught the walls at the right angle.<p>

The boredom caught Check once again. She stood in the middle of an empty room, the floors bare, the walls a chequered canvas, the only furniture a bed, narrow and unused, pressed against the far wall, the only light a thin shaft of moonlight, trailing in through the window, tempting her out. Sliding to the ground, Check closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against one of the walls, the paper surface crackling under her touch, the cold, smooth surface clearing her mind, a breath escaping her lungs and filling the room.

"You're a successor now, Check. The boredom will go away..." She whispered to herself, her voice hushed, the darkness outside letting her know that most of the Wammy's house would be asleep, the statement causing her to tense her hands by her sides in disbelief.

"What if it just makes it worse?" She mused to herself, eyes flickering open to see the mass of smudged black squares obscuring her vision, a sigh rising into the air, the exhalation of breath stirring the papers lightly. The moon beckoned. Moving to her feet, careful not to dislodge the papers that spread over the walls, Check felt herself walk instinctively over to the window, her hands latching onto the wooden frame and heaving upwards, wincing as the wood grinded together and screeched slightly, the sound flooding the bare room before petering out as the window opened fully, a breath of cold, night air sweeping in, causing Check's raven hair to shift where it rested on her shoulders. Swinging one leg out of the window, the girl felt the air rush past her foot as it dangled into open space. Shifting her weight, Check hauled herself up onto the window ledge and sat, feet hanging into empty space, the night's breath fresh on her face as she trained her gaze on the moon, the lenses of her glasses illuminated under its glare. Daring to glance down, a wave of nausea passed over the girl as she saw the ground, far below her, a sea of shadows and stone, waiting to catch and kill her if she slipped. Half considering climbing back in through the window, Check heaved in a heavy breath and braced her hands against either side of the window ledge and forced herself to her feet, legs shaking as she straightened up and stood, head jutting out into the void, the cold stone pressing against her feet as she looked up and shuffled around, clenching her hands against the drainpipe and sidestepping, throwing her arms up onto the roof and pulling until she rolled onto the slanted surface, the slate cold against her spine, her hair splayed out in a halo around her head, eyes glancing upwards at the stars, the cold air sweeping around her and tugging at her clothes.

But she wasn't done yet. Straightening into a crouch, knuckles white with tension, Check began to crawl along the edge of the roof, desperately trying to avoid looking down, her heart fluttering from the fear of falling as she worked her way towards her destination, gaze set on a specific window, her hair whipping across her back, snared by the wind. As she slowed to a halt above the window, Check pulled herself into a crouch, and, digging her nails into the gutter in an attempt to steady herself on the edge of the roof, leant over, a rock clasped in her hand, throwing outwards, the stone clattering off the window and onto the window ledge before rolling off and disappearing towards the ground below.

Nothing. Picking up another fragment of slate, Check braced herself to throw again, and the stone left her hand just as the window was flung open, a blonde head sticking out just in time of the projectile to strike the back of it. The person looking up sharply, the girl found herself faced with the angry gaze of Mello, his hair ruffled from sleep, his eyes displaying an intense annoyance at having a stone dropped onto the back of his head. Drawing back slightly, Check flinched away, her hair falling in front of her eyes, obscuring her face from view.

"What was that for?!" Mello hissed as loudly as he dared, leaning precariously out of the window, only a few degrees from falling out completely. Check shrugged and whispered down, shuffling her feet to prevent the cold of the stone numbing them completely.

"Sorry. I meant to hit the window." Mello opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again, a contemplating look spreading to his face.

"Check, why are you on the roof?" The raven-haired girl shrugged again, a distant note creeping into her voice as she let her gaze stray towards the ground, contemplating what would happen if she was to slip and fall. _The height and speed at which I'd fall would most likely kill me... _She mused, before speaking, not fixing Mello with her eyes directly, her gaze skimming over the top of him and into the distance.

"I'm wondering what would happen if I jumped off..." A rare expression of worry passed across the blonde's eyes, seeming to have forgotten about the fact that the girl above him had dropped a rock on his head just moments before.

"You aren't actually going to jump, are you?" He questioned, and Check shook her head lightly.

"No... It's just theoretical..." She glanced down again, the shadow-bound stones below her dark and foreboding. "Besides, If I did jump, I'd most likely die, and I don't exactly favour the prospect of facing nothingness for the rest of eternity..." The statement seemed to confuse Mello, and Check continued, her breath forming small clouds in the cold air. "None of us know for certain where we go when we die until we die ourselves, and there is always the prospect that we go nowhere, and simply cease to exist. If nothingness is inevitable, I'd like to stay alive for a little longer." Nodding understandingly, Mello opened his mouth to reply, but jerked his head around, as a muffled noise sounded from inside the room, and the blonde called back in an annoyed tone.

"Go away, Matt! You're interrupting a very deep conversation about the afterlife!" The voice sounded again in confusion, and there was the noise of footsteps before Matt's sweep of red hair stuck out of the window alongside Mello's.

"Check, why are you on the roof?"

**A/N: Why do I even bother? I seem to have an inability to write... yay...**


	4. I S O L A T I O N

**Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Death Note**

* * *

><p><strong> CHECKMATE<strong>

* * *

><p><strong> ISOLATION<strong>

* * *

><p><em>The girl was alone. She sat in solitude. Nobody approached her, warned away by her flashing glares and silent demeanour. Her need for a friend was so overpowering that it almost broke her. Instead, she found companionship in silence and the memories that screamed in her ears.<em>

* * *

><p>"Check, what do you think?" Near glanced up from the computer screen over to where the raven-haired girl sat in the corner of the room, studying numerous sheets of paper that she had spread out in a circle on the floor around her, the light causing the lenses of her glasses to gleam, obscuring her eyes and leaving no clue to whether she was confused or if she had come to a conclusion. Moving silently from her crouched position, Check leant over and picked up one of the sheets, turning it so that Near and Mello, who was sprawled out infront of another screen, working his way through a third bar of chocolate, could view its contents.<p>

"Suspect C." She spoke simply, settling the paper back down and moving over to join Near, motioning to the map that was open on the screen, motioning for the boy to bring up details of the first pointer. Despite it being Check's second day in training as L's successor, the three had been assigned to a mock case, a series of 'murders', planned and faked down to the slightest detail, given the task of choosing between three unnamed suspects.

"If you look at the details of the murders, each victim seems to have a negative relation to both Suspect A and C, however if you examine the later kills," Leaning over Near's shoulder, Check slid the mouse across the screen and clicked rapidly on the final three dots marring the surface of the map, a file of fake data flashing up and obscuring the map with each click. "You can see that the killer became reckless, paranoid. He began to kill people in increasingly... Messy... ways, and if you compare that to the deterioration of Suspect C's mental stability towards the end of the killings," Another click brought up another sprawl of information. "I think it's fairly safe to say that Suspect C is responsible." Glancing towards Near for support, Check felt relief that her judgement was accurate flood her as the snowy haired boy nodded and spoke monotonously.

"My thoughts exactly. I think that this case is closed." There was a loud sigh from where Mello still sat at the other side of the room, and Check looked over to see him throw another chocolate wrapper into the bin to add to the large collection that he seemed to have congregated, before standing up and making his way over to where a small silver laptop sat in the corner of the room, the gothic letter L clear on its screen.

"Just tell us if we're right L, I don't think I can stand another minute in a room with _Him._" Shooting a vicious glare over to Near, the blonde made his hatred apparent before turning back to the screen of the computer, making sure his face was visible in the webcam. There was nothing but silence for what seemed a painfully long time, then L finally spoke, his voice emitted from the twin speakers that perched either side of the laptop.

"Your deduction is correct. Suspect C committed the crimes." Check let out a small noise, drawing away from the laptop, moving over to stand in the view of the webcam, the screen casting a glow across her. "Check, I must say that I'm impressed. Your observational skills are outstanding." Dropping her gaze towards the ground at L's compliment, the raven-haired girl shook her head and spoke quietly.

"I just read over the information. There's nothing special about looking." Silence. Check felt increasingly uncomfortable in the void of soundlessness, the intense scrutiny of the webcam, the very though that she was being watched by the worlds greatest Detective, the person every single person in this orphanage wanted to be. She was being watched by L. The though caused her to clench her hands into fists by her sides, the urge to run and duck behind a piece of furniture, unable to be seen almost overpowering.

"Check, what is your rank?" The question splintered the silence, and the raven-haired girl glanced upwards again, the letter sprawled out over the screen boring into her soul once again as she spoke hesitantly.

"Fourth. The last test was three months ago." Silence again. Check let her line of sight fall back to the floor, paranoid that she had made some sort of mistake, said something wrong, caused L to turn back on his decision to make her a successor, made him see her as inferior; not good enough. Mello broke the void once again.

"Can we leave yet? Just being in the same room as Sheep-Face is making me feel sick." Shooting another scornful glare in Near's direction, Mello was faced with a response adverse to what he had hoped, as the snowy-haired boy moved to his feet and crossed the room to stand in line beside Check, the three successors standing before L, illuminated in the glow of the screen, standing wordless.

"Yes, you may go." as if to emphasize the dismissal, the screen flickered and wavered out abruptly, leaving an absence of light that seemed to tear a hole through the room, the illumination of the other computer screens not reaching the now darkened corner of the room where the successors stood. Turning towards Mello, Near tilted his head lightly in curiosity.

"Sheep-Face? That's new." With that, he turned and shuffled out of the room, closing the door behind him quietly, leaving the blonde practically spitting with fury before he ran out of the room himself, undoubtedly to chase down his rival, Check left as the only one in the room, the glow of the screens and pages of evidence scattered across the floor suddenly oppressive, the girl stumbling over to the window and slamming her hands down on the ledge, heaving it open and letting the breeze spill in, dislodging the closer papers, sending them scattering across the floor, cold air sweeping in and jolting Check back to wakefulness as she swung her legs out of the window and perched on the ledge, a sense of deja vu crashing over her as she sat over empty air, nothing there to catch her if she fell, the breeze stirring her hair gently upon her shoulders, her breath forming small clouds in the air in front of her. Staring out towards the ground, she let out a small shocked exclamation as a small child, barely 5 years old, her hair tied into tiny bunches on either side of her head, skipped happily past the outer fence to the Wammy's house, her flustered looking mother trailing behind her. Stopping outside of the gate, the girl looked up to where Check sat in the window and let out a laugh, waving vigorously towards the girl. Startled, Check raised her hand hesitantly and waved back, only to be faced by a fierce glare from the mother, who scooped the child up protectively and walked away, the girl's protests torn away by the breeze. Gaze dropping towards the gravel below her, Check sighed and fished into her pocket, drawing out a small, battered chess pawn, clenching her fingers around the marred wood, raising her fist to her forehead and closing her eyes tightly, a sense of hopelessness flooding her.

_By being here, we must pay a price. We pay with the scornful glares, the pitiful looks, the unsolvable boredom. We pay with our Isolation._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, I think this chapter might be a BIT better, but not much... Anyway, thankyou to everyone who has reviewed so far, I love to hear your feedback, and I appreciate every single word!**

**Storm**


End file.
